Australian 2017 National Junior Championships

July 16, 2017

Winners in Hobart. (Photo: CMW Photography)

Yiming Xu and Holly Nicolas have taken the Under 18 Singles titles at the Australian 2017 National Junior Championships. On both occasions the match went the full seven games distance, with the winner coming from behind to take gold.

In the Boys’ Singles final, Benjamin Gould got off to a flying start, leading three games to one. But Xu scraped a game 11-9, drawing the match level, before he ran away with the match.

Nicolas followed a similar pattern on her way to the title when she faced No. 8 seed and surprise finalist Chrysela Gracias. The No.1 seed found herself 2-3 down and almost on the wrong side of a major upset. But the current Oceania Junior Champion held her nerve and convincingly took the next two games 11-3 and 11-3 to take home the trophy.

Angela Wang, the reigning Under 18 Girls’ Singles title holder, elected this year not to compete above her age group, and instead only participated in the Under 13 Girls’ Singles. Wang won the 13’s final against Chermaine Quah, keeping a clean sheet in the match. Meanwhile, in the Under 13 Boys’ Nicholas Lum took the title via walkover, with Finn Luu unable to compete.

In the Under 15 Singles, Parleen Kuar defended her number one seeding, taking down No.6 seed Danni-Elle Townsend in the Girls’ event, while in the Boys’ draw, Noah Kim powered through Ethan Lim to top the podium.